NATO Commander: Russia a Threat to Moldova

NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Philip Breedlove, following the lead of NATO’s political brass in hyping the Russian “threat” to Europe, has warned Russia’s deployment along its border with Ukraine could mean a plan to attack Moldova.

That’s his theory, though over 500 miles of Ukrainian territory lies between the Russian border and Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria, so the deployments aren’t exactly within striking distance.

Breedlove urged a major military redeployment with an eye on defending Eastern Europe, and Moldova in particular, from a full scale Russian invasion, noting “you cannot defend against that if you are not there to defend against it.”

Transnistria is a narrow strip that hugs the Dniester River, and seceded from Moldova in 1992, though its secession is not generally recognized by NATO member nations. The region’s population is split roughly in thirds by ethnic Moldovans, Ukrainians, and Russians.

The Russian military retains a 1,200-man military presence in Transnistria, which Moldova claims is an “illegal occupation,” since they don’t recognize Transnistria’s independence and seek to re-annex them.

NATO officials are trying to draw a parallel between Transnistria and Crimea, though as a region with little strategic value which Russia is protecting from re-annexation, it seems to have more in common with South Ossetia, which Georgia continues to claim as its own territory.

Author: Jason Ditz

9 thoughts on “NATO Commander: Russia a Threat to Moldova”

I think Russia is not so much a threat as the USG. It's been supremely obvious for a number of years that it is the USG that has plans for world domination…just ask Bill Kristol and his merry band of neocon miscreants who riddle the upper ranks of the government. Moldova? Seriously? What about Cancun ? I mean if Russia needs a warm water port, it's perfect. Let's send a few thousand troops to Cancun to head them off at the pass. Idiots.

I wonder if Gen Breedlove has a vested interest (property…mistress…bank account) in Moldova?

Did NATO commander also say NATO a threat to Russia? Especially since NATO has progressively been expanding eastward to Russia's borders, in contravention of the West's agreement not to expand NATO in return for the then-Soviet Union's withdrawal from East Germany and the rest of Eastern Europe?

What's really at stake here is Southern Ukraine. The inhabitants of Transnistria would probably love to be annexed by Russia, but that is wholly unrealistic without first seizing Southern Ukraine, which very definitely doesn't want to be annexed to Russia.

Oh no! Another minor failed state Russia would want to take on the responsibility for!
Remind me, why would they want another headache?
Same goes for Latvia and Lithuania and Estonia. What's the gain for them? Nada.

"The Russian military retains a 1,200-man military presence in Transnistria, which Moldova claims is an “illegal occupation,” since they don’t recognize Transnistria’s independence and seek to re-annex them."

Well, Cuba doesn't recognize the U.S. naval occupation of Guantanamo, and Cuba's got a very good argument (even if you accept the initial legality of the 1903 lease, which is itself highly questionable) that the U.S. has voided the lease by using the base as a gulag, vastly exceeding the specifically very limited use as a coaling and refueling station as authorized by the 1903 lease.

So, Russia out of Transnistria and U.S. out of Guantanamo? Maybe that would be a fair trade-off.